Where Do Bedbugs Hide? The Most Common Places to Check in Your Wisbech Property

Wisbech is a Fenland market town on the River Nene, known for its Georgian buildings, and its homes range from those older properties to modern houses and flats. Bed bugs behave the same way in all of them. What differs is how many hiding places each room offers, so a methodical search matters more than a quick look.

How to Search

You need a bright torch, a thin card such as an old loyalty card, and some patience. Work in daylight if you can, and with the light off except the torch if you cannot, because it makes the insects and their marks easier to pick out.

• Run the edge of the card along seams and into joints to flush anything out
• Look for the marks they leave as well as the insects themselves
• Check one area completely before moving on to the next
• Do not take things apart to search. Do not unscrew electrical fittings

What you are looking for, from spotting to eggs, is covered in our guide to bed bug identification. This post is about where to look.

The Bed: Check This First

The mattress

Go right round the piping at the top and bottom edges, then the seams, any buttons or tufts, the handles and the label. Lift the mattress and look at the underside, especially the corners.

The base and frame

On a divan, check where the fabric is stapled underneath and around the castors or feet. On a frame, go along every joint and screw hole, the slats where they rest on the rails, and the corner brackets.

The headboard

This is one of the most overlooked places. Check where it joins the bed or the wall, the back of it, and any buttons or seams on an upholstered one. If it is fixed to the wall, look at the wall around the fixings.

Around the Bed

• Bedside tables: inside and under drawers, the drawer runners, the back panel and the joints
• Skirting boards nearest the bed, especially where they have come away slightly from the wall
• Carpet edges and gripper rods along the wall behind and beside the bed
• Plug sockets and light switches near the bed: look around the edges of the faceplate, but do not remove it
• Picture frames and wall hangings near the bed: check the back and the hanging point
• Curtains close to the bed, particularly the pleats and the top hem

Beyond the Bedroom

Bed bugs follow people, so the next places to check are anywhere someone has slept or sat still for a long time:

• Sofas and armchairs: seams, the joins under cushions, and the underside
• Spare beds, sofa beds and day beds, if anyone has used them since the bites started
• Suitcases and bags, especially ones unpacked in the bedroom after a trip
• Piles of clothes on the floor or a chair near the bed

In a flat, bed bugs can occasionally move between neighbouring properties. If you find them near a shared wall and a neighbour has mentioned bites, tell us. What causes bed bugs covers the ways they arrive.

If You Find Them, or If You Do Not

If you find live insects, shed skins or spotting, stop searching and leave things as they are. Do not move the mattress or change rooms, and read what to do if you have a bed bug infestation for the next steps. Bed bug control is £220 for the first room, plus £80 for each additional room; the bed bug treatment cost guide explains how rooms are counted.

If you have bites but have searched carefully and found nothing, a pest inspection and survey at £120 fixed cost gets you a definite answer. Our bed bug control page for Wisbech covers what happens after treatment. Every treatment is guaranteed: if the problem comes back within 14 days of treatment, we return and re-treat free of charge.